The FIBA EuroBasket 2009 was the 36th FIBA EuroBasket, the biennial regional basketball championship contested by European nations and held by FIBA Europe. The tournament, which was hosted by Poland, began on 7 September 2009 and concluded with the final on 20 September 2009. The competition served as a qualification tournament for the 2010 FIBA World Championship in Turkey.

The tournament was played at seven venues in seven cities throughout Poland.[3] Each one of the total six groups in the preliminary and the qualifying round was hosted by a single arena, while the entire knockout stage was played at Spodek Arena, Katowice.

The draw for the qualifying round took place on 16 February 2008 in Venice, Italy. Poland, as host nation, and the seven top-placed nations in EuroBasket 2007 automatically qualified for the tournament finals. From the qualifying round, the winners of the four groups and the three best second-place teams also advanced to the final round of the event. The ten teams who participated in the qualifying round and did not succeed in going through to the final round had been ranked according to their win–loss records, their win–loss percentages and their goal average coefficients. The first six teams took part in an additional qualifying round, held from 5 to 30 August 2009, the winner of which secured the last ticket for the final tournament.[4]

The draw for the groups of the final tournament took place on 8 November 2008 in Warsaw, Poland. The finalists were divided into four seeding pots, based on the results of the teams in the most recent FIBA Europe official competitions, with the last competition being the most important. Teams from the same group of seeds cannot be drawn against each other.[6][7]

The Polish Basketball Federation and the Local Organising Committee of EuroBasket 2009 announced at a press conference in Warsaw that they have chosen the European Bison as the official mascot of EuroBasket 2009. The European bison
(Polish: Żubr) is the largest wild animal to be found in Poland's forests. It is estimated that almost one fifth of the world's population of bisons is actually living in Poland. The animal is known for its calm attitude, while its posture and horns are associated with strength and dignity. The name chosen for the event's official mascot is Mieszko. The name has historical significance as it is the name of the first documented Polish ruler who united Poland in the 10th century. Mieszko is wearing a white jersey that shows the logo of the tournament and white shorts with a number 9. There is red on the sides of the jersey and shorts. His footwear is white with red laces. He is also holding a basketball that says "EuroBasket 2009".

The final was a rematch of each team's opening game, with the Spaniards attempting to avenge their 66–57 upset loss to the Serbians. Spain raced to a double-digit lead early in the first quarter, en route to an unassailable 52–29 lead at halftime. Serbia didn't catch up to hand Spain their first European Championship. Pau Gasol had a double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds. Teammate Rudy Fernandez added 13 points and five rebounds. Uroš Tripković and Novica Veličković had 15 points each in a losing effort for the Serbs.[11]

Spain, Serbia, Greece, Slovenia, France, and Croatia qualified for the 2010 FIBA World Championship. Turkey previously qualified as hosts of the competition. Russia, Germany, and Lithuania were later awarded wild card berths to the tournament.

^Players who are citizens by birth of the country they represent, even if they were born outside of that country and have not previously lived there, are not considered "naturalized" under FIBA rules. Two players on the Greece squad, Nick Calathes and Kosta Koufos, were born and raised in the United States, but were also Greek citizens by birth because each had at least one parent who emigrated from Greece.

EuroBasket

EuroBasket, also commonly referred to as the European Basketball Championship, is the main international basketball competition that is contested biannually, by the senior men's national teams that are governed by FIBA Europe, which is the European zone within the International Basketball Federation.

EuroBasket 2005

The 2005 FIBA European Championship, commonly called FIBA EuroBasket 2005, was the 34th FIBA EuroBasket regional basketball championship held by FIBA Europe, which also served as Europe qualifier for the 2006 FIBA World Championship, giving a berth to the top six teams in the final standings. It was held in Serbia and Montenegro between 16 September and 25 September 2005. Sixteen national teams entered the event under the auspices of FIBA Europe, the sport's regional governing body. The cities of Belgrade, Novi Sad, Podgorica and Vršac hosted the tournament. It was the third time that the championship was hosted by the city of Belgrade. Greece won its second FIBA European title by defeating Germany with a 78–62 score in the final. Germany's Dirk Nowitzki was voted the tournament's MVP.

Greece national basketball team

The Greece national basketball team is organized and run by the Hellenic Basketball Federation. They were runners-up in the 2006 FIBA World Championship, after beating the United States 101–95 in the tournament's semifinal. They have won EuroBasket twice; in 1987, after beating the Soviet Union 103–101 in the final in Athens and in 2005, after beating Germany with a convincing 78–62 in the final in Belgrade. Greece is currently placed eighth in the FIBA World Rankings.

Slovenia national basketball team

The Slovenia national basketball team is organized and run by the Basketball Federation of Slovenia. Since the independence of the country in 1991, the team has competed at every EuroBasket, they entered the knockout stage at every championship since 2005 and won the 2017 edition. Slovenia is currently ranked seventh in the FIBA World Rankings.

Theodoros Papaloukas

Theódoros Papaloukás, commonly also known as "Theo Papaloukas" or "Thodoris Papaloukas", is a retired Greek professional basketball player. He was a four-time All-EuroLeague selection, a member of the EuroLeague 2001–10 All-Decade Team and was named one of the 50 greatest EuroLeague contributors in 2008. A revolutionary figure in basketball, as illustrated by his unique ability to come off the bench and alter the course of an encounter, and his uncanny feel for the game, he symbolized the rise of European basketball in the new millennium.

Juan Carlos Navarro (basketball)

Juan Carlos Navarro Feijoo, commonly known as either Juan Carlos Navarro or J.C. Navarro, and nicknamed La Bomba, is a Spanish former professional basketball player. At 1.92 m and 91 kg (201 lb), he played at the shooting guard position. On March 14, 2014, he was named a EuroLeague Basketball Legend.

EuroBasket 2007

The 2007 FIBA European Championship, commonly called FIBA EuroBasket 2007, was the 35th FIBA EuroBasket regional basketball championship held by FIBA Europe, which also served as Europe qualifier for the 2008 Summer Olympics, giving a berth to the champion and runner-up teams. It was held in Spain between 3 September and 16 September 2007. Sixteen national teams entered the event under the auspices of FIBA Europe, the sport's regional governing body. The cities of Alicante, Granada, Madrid, Palma de Mallorca, and Seville hosted the tournament. Russia won its first FIBA EuroBasket title since the dissolution of the Soviet Union, by defeating hosts Spain, with a 60–59 score in the final. Russia's Andrei Kirilenko was voted the tournament's MVP.

Uroš Tripković

Uroš Tripković is a Serbian former professional basketball player. He represented the Serbian national basketball team internationally. Standing at 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m), he played as a shooting guard and was known as a good 3-point shooter.

EuroBasket Women 2009

The 2009 European Women Basketball Championship, commonly called EuroBasket Women 2009, was the 32nd regional championship held by FIBA Europe. The competition was held in Latvia from June 7 to June 20, 2009.

Kostas Papanikolaou

Konstantinos "Kostas" Papanikolaou is a Greek professional basketball player for Olympiacos of the Greek Basket League and the EuroLeague. Standing at 2.04 m tall, he plays at the small forward position. He has previously played in the NBA for the Houston Rockets and Denver Nuggets, and is also a member of the senior Greek national team.

EuroBasket 2013

EuroBasket 2013 was the 38th edition of the EuroBasket championship that is organized by FIBA Europe. It took place from 4 September until 22 September 2013 in Slovenia. The number of participating teams was 24.

EuroBasket 2015

EuroBasket 2015 was the 39th annual edition of the EuroBasket championship that is organised by FIBA Europe. It took place in four different countries, making it the first EuroBasket held in more than one country. It started on 5 September and ended on 20 September.

Israel women's national basketball team

The Israel national women's basketball team represents Israel in international basketball matches and is controlled by the Israel Basketball Association.

EuroBasket 2017

The EuroBasket 2017 was the 40th edition of the EuroBasket championship that was organized by FIBA Europe and held between 31 August and 17 September 2017. Beginning from 2017, the continental championships take place every four years with a similar system of qualification as for the FIBA Basketball World Cup.

EuroBasket 2015 Final

The EuroBasket 2015 Final was the championship game of the EuroBasket 2015 tournament. The game was played on 20 September 2015 at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy in Lille, France.

EuroBasket 2009 Final

The EuroBasket 2009 Final was the championship game of the EuroBasket 2009 tournament. The game was played on 20 September 2009 at the Spodek in Katowice, Poland.